Saxony loses cultural monuments - cases of illegal demolition

In Saxony, 355 monuments have been lost in recent years. 13 of them were demolished without permission. This was the result of minor questions by Green politician Thomas Löser in the state parliament. For the first time, data on the losses in the individual districts as well as specific details of the objects demolished without permission are now available.

A piece of history disappears with every monument

"Every demolished monument is a bitter loss for Saxony. Because with every monument, a piece of our region's history and identity disappears," explained Löser. This makes it all the more shocking that monuments are being illegally demolished time and time again. The CDU and SPD must finally do more to preserve our architectural culture in Saxony.

Greens call for better support for owners

The Greens are calling for a strengthening of monument protection and better support for monument owners. "Without timely protective measures, all that often remains of a former masterpiece in the end is a ruined building." Unfortunately, due to a lack of personnel in many places, it is currently not possible to systematically record endangered monuments or actively intervene.

According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development, there was no approval for the demolition of the garden pavilion in a listed villa in Leipzig's Gräfestraße and for the removal of a decorative fountain from a villa in Leipzig's Dösner Straße. Other illegal demolitions include parts of three-sided courtyards in Dahlen and Großenhain and residential buildings in Ebersbach near Meißen and Hartenstein.

Monument protection needs sufficient staff

"The state government must therefore now enable the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments to quickly fill vacant staff positions and check whether the lower monument authorities in cities and districts are sufficiently staffed," said Löser. The protection of architectural monuments is also a sign of appreciation for the many people who worked to preserve them in the GDR, many of them on a voluntary basis.

Saxony is rich in architectural monuments. With more than 100,000 protected buildings, the Free State ranks second in Germany, the report continued. In order to preserve this heritage, the Greens said that they had secured an additional four million euros for monument preservation in the negotiations for the current double budget.